We Never Thought We Would Have A Happy Ending
by Alohomora Fantasy
Summary: This is a collection of Everlark oneshots I have written for two contests. This will contain AU, healing/hurt/comfort, and fluffy oneshots. Each one will stay a oneshot unless someone wishes me to continue one of these threads. This will be listed as complete because each oneshot stands alone, but I will be adding occasionally.
1. Primroses and Broken Glass

**A/N: Hello all, long time, no write! I have finally been released from thralldom (school), so I have more time to write now! Defy the Odds is on hiatus until I can get back on track, but I'll be posting loads of old and new oneshots for various fandoms.**

 **Anyways, this will be a collection of oneshots from 2 Everlark fanfiction contests hosted by flowerkatniss on Instagram. I made it to the final round in both! They were all from prompts from the contest, but I do not have all the prompts recorded. Here is the first one saved!**

 **I'll try to update this every week until I run out. Also, these are rather old, but it's interesting to see writing develop (at least for me).**

 **Primroses and Broken Glass**

 **(Set after Buttercup comes back, but Peeta hasn't come yet)**

A strangled scream rips its way out of my throat as I shoot up in bed, wrapped in a layer of cold sweat. This time, Madge and her family added to the ashes of my grave, and her eyes were terrifyingly dead looking, dull and cold. The faint scent of roses still lingers in my room, adding to my anxiety.

Buttercup meows softly, butting my stomach with his head. His ugly eyes widen as I reach down to absentmindedly scratch his ears. He is my one of the last remaining things I have of Prim, and I can't help but love him and hate him for it.

I shudder as my mind replays her death. No matter what I do, I can't claw my way out of the despair the war has induced. Even in the woods, I can't escape the guilt and sadness of the deaths, and reliving them in my nightmares doesn't help.

It is one of the worst tortures I have endured to watch sweet Prim disappear in a flurry of flames and smoke, of daring Finnick being mutilated by lizard mutts; again and again. I choke as my thoughts drift in that direction and I feel the blood and flames on my skin, the sickeningly sweet rose scent in my nose.

I leap out of bed, attempting to outrun the memories. I climb into the shower, scrubbing my skin raw. To be honest, I'm lonely. I need someone to talk to, to take my mind away from these things. I need someone to hold me after the nightmares, let me bury my face in their shoulder as I breath in the scent of fresh bread and dill...

I shake my head at these thoughts, surprised at myself. I think I must have accepted some time ago that I do love Peeta. Gale was wrong; I _can_ survive without either of them, but I can't _live_ without Peeta.

Before Buttercup came, before I went into the woods again, I just sat there, drowning in my thoughts. I thought a lot, and I realized I had spent a period of time with Gale while Peeta wasn't there and the other way around. I analyzed my time with each of them when my mind wasn't occupied with other memories, and I concluded many things.

First: Everything I had ever done with Peeta left me with some sort of positive emotion, even amid all the grief. He had never kissed me or done any other sort of thing against my will, and just the thought of him gave me strength and comfort.

Second: I now know all those emotions can only add up to one thing- Love.

After coming to this conclusion, I was so shell-shocked that it took Greasy Sae ten minutes to get me up to eat. Gale gave me some of those things, some of those emotions, but never in the same gentle and loving way Peeta did.

A knock rouses me from my revere. Greasy Sae always let's herself in, and I haven't seen Haymitch since we arrived here. Who could it be? I consider staying up here, sitting on the bed with Buttercup lying next to me, but decide I should answer the door.

I trot downstairs, realizing I have left whoever is at the door waiting for a rather long time. I harbor a little hope they have left. Prim would be ashamed, for she would have bounded to the door, letting whoever it was in immediately and offer them tea. My eyes sting at the thought of her, and I shove the memory back down.

I don't even think as I open the door, and when I look up, everything stops. My heart, my thoughts, time. Peeta is standing there. Sweet, glorious Peeta. He has flowers. Primroses. I almost cry out and a single tear escapes, but I wipe it away before he notices. My first instinct is to lunge at him and hug him fiercely, but I refrain. Who knows how he would react to that? His beautiful blue eyes are clear, but I'm sure effects of his hijacking still remain.

I start to turn and shut the door, my heart in my throat as I become aware of how I look; wet hair hanging straggly around my face, sweat pants, and an old green shirt with stains on it. Peeta's eyes widen.

"Katniss, wait! I'm sorry I didn't come sooner! I wasn't allowed to leave the Capitol until yesterday." That stops me. Why is he apologizing? I should be apologizing for shutting the door on him. I sigh, confused at myself.

"No, Peeta, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shut the door on you." I open it back up all the way, and step aside to let him in.

"Sorry." I say again. "I'm just not used to seeing people anymore."

He looks concerned. For the first time I take in his appearance. He looks like me, with burned and scared skin, thin. We match. Then I notice his flushed cheeks and tear stained eyes.

"Peeta, what's wrong?" My voice is soft and I hear my concern for him leaking out.

"Nothing's wrong." He says gently, brushing aside his problems. Stupid selfless Peeta. "Why aren't you used to seeing people?" I clear my throat, for some reason I'm suddenly nervous.

"Come to the kitchen. Would you like something to drink?" I avoid his question and silently accept the primroses he holds out to me with his beautiful hesitant smile. I don't know why, I feel like he would judge me or something. I realize how ridiculous that sounds. This is _Peeta_ we are talking about. He gazes at me, prodding me gently. I sigh again.

"Tea would be wonderful." Dr. Aurelius says tea calms the mind. Obviously Peeta is thinking along those lines, or maybe I'm reading into this too much. Why do I feel this way, all nervous and tingly and skittish, but almost ecstatic at the same time?

As I brew tea and put the primroses tenderly in a vase, I decide to tell Peeta. It's not like it is a huge secret or anything.

"Ever since I came back from the Capitol, I haven't seen anyone except Greasy Sae and her granddaughter. I was pretty sedentary; I never went out of the house. Then Buttercup showed up, pretty mangled. He came here all the way from District 13 on foot. That's when things changed. I started going out into woods. I still don't see anyone though." Now that's out, it wasn't that bad. But then of course I had to mutter, "It's still hard, though. I'm still not okay."

Dang, shouldn't have said that. He probably didn't hear, though, because Peeta has a confused look on his face.

"Buttercup was..." He hesitates, seeing my upset expression that I simply can't keep off my face at even the slight reminder of Prim. "Was... Prim's cat? Real or nor real?" Tears obscure my vision, and my voice is shaky.

"Real."

"Katniss, I'm sorry. About Prim. I know you loved her very much. She was a wonderful girl. I remember her; she was so kind and beautiful." His voice is so sweet and sincere; I have to turn to the stove to hide my tears. "Like you." I blink in surprise, and then bury my head in my hands.

I am _nothing_ like Prim. "Yes you are. Where do you think she got some of her best qualities?" I must have said that aloud. I shudder, trying to hold in the sobs that are rising in my throat. I feel a gentle touch on my arm, and without thinking I turn my head into his shoulder and cry silently.

Peeta immediately tenses up, for so long I pull away. But then he puts his arms around me and hugs me tightly, pulling me to him; which only makes me cry harder.

"Katniss, it's okay. I'm here for you now. It's alright." I calm down, and still myself, staying nestled against him. I missed people holding me, talking to me, comforting me.

"I missed you. I missed you so, so much." Damn, I am _not_ in control of my mouth. Peeta sighs almost contentedly, and he brings his head down and rests it on mine. Maybe it was worth saying that if it makes him happy.

"I missed you too." His voice is strained and he sounds choked up. Suddenly, I feel wetness in my hair. He's crying. I reach up to touch his cheek and he tenses again before leaning into my touch. "I was so lonely in the Capitol and they wouldn't let me leave. No one understood me the way you do, and I felt like they were lying. You were always truthful with me when I came to District 13. I hated it there. It reminded me of..."

Suddenly his muscles convulse and he shoots backwards away from me. I glance at him; his pupils are dominating the iris, making his eyes look black. His body is shaking and already beads of perspiration are forming on his face. He is fighting against it, and for a moment I hear the real him come through. He sounds panicked.

"KATNISS LEAVE! YOU HAVE TO GO!" I hesitate for a second. Should I stay here and talk him through it? No, that will only make it worse. I sprint out, slamming and locking the kitchen door behind me. This is so awful, I just _know_ I set this off.

I hate what the Capitol did to Peeta, what Snow did to him. I got my revenge though, and now we just need to focus on healing. The rest of me catches up to this thought and it hits me hard.

I have been dwelling on the past, thinking of what I could have done differently. Instead I should be thinking about the future, and making a life for myself instead of sitting in the past.

And to think, Peeta brings on all these thoughts.

I am brought back to the present as I hear glass breaking and Peeta's muscled body slamming against the door. He's yelling unintelligible things, but I can hear words like "mutt" and "traitor". It breaks me to know Peeta has to fight his own mind to be his true self.

After about a half an hour, he quiets down. It takes another ten minutes before I hear Peeta's exhausted and shaky voice.

"Katniss... I... I think it's alright for you to come in." I slowly unlock the door, and as I open it, glass is pushed aside. Peeta is sitting in a chair, his head in his bloodied hands. I frown and walk over to the sink, skirting around broken glass from dishes and vases. The primroses are lying on the ground, trampled, but I don't mind. I wet a towel and gather some bandages from the cupboard.

"Peeta, it's alright." I speak comforting and low, as if to a injured wild animal, as I approach him. He lifts his head out of his hands as I approach him. His eyes are murky and scared, and I see blood trickling down his temple. "Oh, Peeta." I sigh and sit in a chair next to him.

"I'm sorry." He whispers.

"For what?" I whisper back.

"For going insane on you. For trying to break down your door and for yelling at you. For breaking your dishes." He winces in pain as he gestures at all the broken glass.

"There is no reason for you to apologize for that. It wasn't you." He just stares at me, looking as haunted and broken as I feel. "Let me help you." I gesture to his hands with the damp cloth.

He hesitantly holds out his hand, and he winces as the warm water cleanses the shallow cuts. I am as gentle as possible, but I am constantly apologizing to him for hurting him.

After I clean his hands and head wound, I wrap up his hands. Seemingly against my will, I place a tender kiss right above the cut on his temple, and he moans softly. A single tear slips out of his closed eyes, and I do something so intimate I scare myself. I kiss it away, and tell him sweet nothing's like Prim used to do to younger patients. I barely notice how I don't cry at the thought of her.

"I hate this. It's so hard, Katniss. I can't do it, sometimes I just want to give up. But I can't, because I can't succumb to being a piece in his games. I said something like that once, real or not real?" He sounds exactly like the broken glass on the ground.

"Real." I tell him tenderly. I know who he is talking about, I can't believe after all this time, Peeta is still soldiering on. I decide to tell him as much.

"Peeta, you are so brave and strong. I _know_ you can do this, and I'll be there to help you the whole way." He looks at me with the most earnest expression.

"I'm here for you too, Katniss." He leans forward and closes the small space between us, softly placing his warm lips on mine. As I kiss him back with only my love for him in mind, I realize that we are already on the road to recovery. He and I are just starting to heal, but we will get through it together; like we always do.


	2. Then and Now

**A/N: Hey all, I am here with another oneshot! I really am not too sure on this one, but I figured I would post it any ways and let you decide for yourselves. I just want to remind everyone (including myself) that I had the limitation of fitting the prompt into** _ **only**_ **a oneshot.**

 **From what I remember, the promt entailed the two having a talk in bed from nightmares, talking about their childhood, traditions from District 12, and feelings back from the games (I'm not sure on that one.).**

 **This is set after the games, when Katniss and Peeta are close to getting engaged.**

 **THEN AND NOW**

Katniss lay awake in bed as she held Peeta's head in her lap, smoothing his blonde curls away from his flushed face. His sleeping was fitful, but he needed it after what had happened last night.

Peeta had shot up in bed in the middle of the night, yelling incoherently. Katniss had immediately woken up, and it had taken her some time to calm him down. After Peeta had laid his head in Katniss' lap, he told her what the nightmare was about.

"It started out in our first games," he gasped, "right after you had blown up the Career's supplies. Cato had you in a death grip, but you managed to get away. As you were running, though, Clove threw a knife at you and you…" Katniss had soothed him, stroking his face and telling him she was here now. Peeta went on.

"Then my family was in front of me, Mother and Father, Rye, and Jake and Christiana. Snow killed all of them one by one, and I couldn't move, I couldn't scream." Peeta had almost reached hysterics by that point; he was sitting up and sobbing. Katniss calmed him again and told him,

"Peeta, you don't have to tell me what happened. I completely understand."

"It helps if I tell someone." He had said quietly. Katniss nodded. Peeta took a deep breath and kept going. "After that I was back in the cave and you were lying very still on the floor. You were all bloody, and everything spiraled into red. Suddenly I was in the Quell arena and I watched as you got trapped under the rocky strip after the Cornucopia spun." He shut his eyes, and buried his face in his hands for a moment, before continuing.

"You... It was you who got taken by the Capitol, and they… they tortured you. Then you were running at me screaming and you…." He gasped and turned away, and when Katniss tried to touch his shoulder he flinched. "You strangled me. Then suddenly I was in the Capitol streets, running from the tributes of both games, and a hole opened before me, and everything went dark."

Peeta had then turned back to Katniss and buried his face in her shoulder. Katniss had stroked his back and kissed away his tears, slowly lying Peeta down. She sang to him, and her soft, beautiful voice calmed Peeta, and now she was here, only four hours later.

Katniss watched as Peeta groaned and curled into himself, pulling the blankets up to his chin. She lightly touched his cheek and recoiled when she felt the heat radiating off his skin. Peeta's eyes fluttered open, and he smiled blearily up at her.

"Mornin' Kat." He mumbled.

"Good morning Peeta." She leaned down and kissed his forehead, and he leaned into her cool lips. "How are you feeling?" Peeta moaned and closed his eyes as a bout of shivers chilled him.

"Not too well." He whispered hoarsely. He knew Katniss would find out if he lied about his health, so there was no point in reassuring her he was fine.

"I'm sorry. Don't worry, though. I thought, after last night, we could just stay in bed and talk today?" Peeta smiled appreciatively at her, and moved his head to lie on a pillow. He motioned to the space beside him, and Katniss slipped down to lie nestled against him.

"I don't think I can fall back asleep," he stated, "but I am very happy to talk." He looked at her curiously. "So, what do you want to talk about?" Katniss had an almost shy look on her face, and Peeta poked her gently in the side, and she laughed lightly.

"What was your childhood like?" Peeta looked sad for a moment, and Katniss rushed to rectify her mistake. "We don't have to ta-"

"No Katniss, it's alright. To be honest, I think I had a pretty good childhood. Having two older brothers made for quite a lively house." He smiled sadly. "I just miss them, Rye and Jake, and Dad."

"Not your Mom, though, I'm guessing." Katniss smiled sadly at Peeta too. Suddenly Peeta burst out laughing, and Katniss looked at him quizzically. "What?"

"It's just something I remember from one of my birthdays." He laughed again, and Katniss wanted to hear the story of what was still making Peeta laugh.

"Will you tell me the story?" Peeta nodded his head and started his apparently hilarious tale.

"Well, it was my tenth birthday, and I had REALLY wanted to try out this design I had sketched out on one of the cakes. My mother usually only let me do flowers and animals and things like that, but I had been waiting for my birthday to ask her if I could do it. Of course, being the witch she was, she said no. Rye and Jake thought this was especially unfair because it was my birthday and they thought I was a great artist, so they told me. Anyways, Rye was a total prankster. Remember when ALL of the blackboards disappeared and were found on the roof two days later turned pink?"

Katniss smiled fondly at the memory. The teachers couldn't teach, so they gave the kids free reading time and one on one lessons. She nodded her head at Peeta and scooted a little closer to him.

"Well that was Rye." Katniss laughed; surprised he was able to pull it off with all the work he had to do at the bakery and the teachers keeping a close eye on him due to his past pranks.

"I'm surprised he managed that."

"Yeah, well, Rye is-was special. Anyways, that night Rye slipped nearly a whole bottle of old wine into Mom's soup (don't ask me how) and she got really drunk because she wasn't used to alcohol at _all_. So drunk, in fact, she passed out right into her dinner." Katniss laughed along with Peeta, imagining the severe woman woozy and covered in food.

"She woke up after that and Jake had told me to fake cry to turn her sympathetic while she was drunk. So I whimpered and asked her most innocently if I could decorate the cakes. She nodded absently and tripped off to bed. Rye sneaked up the stairs and painted her face with leftover green dye. She truly looked like a witch the next day."

"I can only imagine what fun you had around your brothers." Katniss sighed wistfully. When she was younger, she had dreamed of having a little brother to teach how to hunt and be her partner in the woods when Dad couldn't come.

"Yeah...that was one of the best birthdays. Rye, Jake, and I spent the whole night decorating cakes and eating a batch of cookie dough, Dad experimented with new recipes to sell. The next day Mom was angrier than I have ever seen her. Dad got sent out all day to do chores and the three of us got quite a few wallops throughout the day coupled with hard working the entire day and no dinner."

Katniss was quite shocked. All that because her little boy wanted to decorate _one_ cake his own way on his birthday?!

"Peeta… that's awful! I knew she was bad, but not… not like that!"

"Katniss… it's alright. There were plenty of hilarious moments in that particular memory, and besides... she's gone now." Katniss sighed and gently brought her lips to his. Peeta moaned softly against her lips before deepening the kiss. He pulled her flush against him, before breaking away to kiss her nose, cheeks, and forehead. "Now you have to tell me a story." He said with one last peck to her nose.

"Peeta… my childhood wasn't the happiest one."

"There had to have been SOME good times. Maybe a funny story you can tell me?" Katniss smiled as memories from before her father died sprung into her mind. She remembered the one time her Dad had brought home an orange. It had been one of the most delicious things she had tasted, and one of the most amazing things someone had ever done for her.

"I'll tell you about the time my Dad brought home an orange. It was New Year's an-"

"Wait, an _orange_? What's so special about an orange?" Peeta was truly perplexed. He knew that Seam people definitely weren't as well-nourished as Merchants, but surely they would have fresh fruit sometimes? Katniss sighed sorrowfully.

"You truly don't know what it's like in the Seam, do you?" Peeta shook his head.

"I suppose I don't. Maybe you should tell me." Katniss _really_ didn't want to tell Peeta about living in the Seam, because quite frankly it was depressing. So she tried a different tactic.

"How about you tell me one thing you think Merchants do, and I'll tell you what is different and what is similar from the Seam."

"Okay… well, on Valentine's Day us boys travel to our girls houses and kiss them on the threshold. Then we give our sweethearts a piece of ribbon, and if the girl wears it in her hair, that means she like us. If we don't kiss them, it is seen as just a friendly move, but if you kiss a girl it is considered inappropriate if she rebukes the boy."

Katniss thought that was a very silly tradition, and told Peeta as much.

"Since we can't afford ribbons to give away, we give flowers to our sweethearts. _Or_ , if it is a friendly move, we give them a note telling what they mean to us."

"I like that one better. It seems less shallow and intrusive, and the note is a really good idea."

The two talked for hours, exchanging stories and traditions as well as kisses. Eventually the conversation petered out into silence, and Peeta was left admiring Katniss' absolutely stunning smooth olive skin, while Katniss drowned herself in his captivating blue eyes. They kept staring at each other, and slowly it brought on memories of their first games and how they had felt.

Peeta remembered how much he loved her, and how much it hurt when she told him it was just for the games. The remembered hurt brought tears unbidden to his eyes, and one slipped out.

Immediately Katniss snapped to attention, and her eyes looked at him worriedly as she kissed his tear away. It had become her habit, meant to comfort both Peeta and her.

"Peeta, what's wrong?" His fever had been forgotten in their conversation, but now Katniss wondered if he was in pain. "Do you feel alright?" Her voice was gentle and concerned.

Peeta ignored her question and instead asked her one.

"Did you…did you really not feel anything for me? In the first games, I mean?" Katniss was startled. They had not talked about the games in a long time, and to be honest, she didn't know the answer to that question. She tried, for Peeta, and found herself pouring out all those confusing emotions to him.

"I…I know I felt _something_ for you, I just didn't know what. Everything was so confusing because I was feeling emotions I had never felt before. I just… before you, the only person I was ever sure I loved was… was Prim. I had never even kissed a boy before we were in the arena, Peeta! I didn't want to have to kill you to get back to my family. They… they needed me! It was all so bewildering and happened so fast, I never got time to think! And then… and then…. Gale, who I had only ever thought of as a brother, _kissed_ me! And not like you did; he did it with no warning, and it was so sudden. Then, two boys liked me, two boys who I cared deeply for, and I didn't want to hurt either of you."

"Katniss, I understand. Now it makes sense to me, and you needed to take care of your family and survive."

"Thank you Peeta. For loving me when I was a mess, for being there for me even when I wasn't there for you, for helping me heal. I love you." Katniss couldn't take it any longer. She leaned in and kissed him, tangling her slender fingers in his curly blonde hair. Peeta responded enthusiastically, with a love and passion Katniss relished. He tucked her against him, and his hands rested softly on her back and neck. He pulled away when he could no longer last without air, and breathed,

"I love you too, and every moment I have with you leaves me with an indescribable feeling."

"Me too. I think its called love." Katniss whispered as she smiled at him, nightmares and fevers and past regrets forgotten. Love erased all the tortured moments, leaving only something wonderful behind, for both of them together.


	3. My Brave One

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for not posting sooner, I honestly forgot to. But it's here now, and I have a few more to put up, before I undoubtedly write more.**

 **I would love if you could vote in my poll, it only takes three clicks!**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy this (even if it is rather short and terrible)!**

My Brave One

"Katniss Mellark has nightamares every night that leave her screaming. Katniss and Peeeta's daughter, Calla, hears her and asks Peeta why she screams. Peeta must attempt to explain The Hunger Games and their role in it to his six year old daughter."

~ Prompt from flowerkatniss on Instagram

I jolted awake as a raw scream sounded throughout the house.

"NO!" It was filled with so much pain and fear, I could feel it seeping through me. I quickly sat up and turned to Katniss. My beautiful wife was sitting up ramrod straight, heaving in air desperately as she looked around with wide gray eyes.

"Katniss, it's alright." Her attention snapped to me, and then she relaxed. I opened my arms to her, and she lunged into them, taking deep breaths. "Hey, it was just a nightmare. It's over, we're safe here." I knew she already knew this, but as I stroked her hair I felt her trying to calm down. She leaned her head into my chest for a moment before pulling away, face pale.

"I'm sorry Peeta. I know you need sleep, I didn't mean to wake you." I shook my head. To this day I still cannot fully understand Katniss.

"You can wake me up whenever you want. I don't need sleep when your hurting." She smiled weakly at me, before distangling the sheets and getting up. "Where are you going?"

"I don't think I can go to sleep just yet." She sighed. "I'm going to take a shower. Try to go back to sleep." I nodded.

"Okay."

Once she disappeared into the bathroom, I sighed and leaned back against the headboard, rubbing a hand over my face. I wish I could take the nightmares from her, heal her fully so the memories could never scare her again; never make her feel like she was being hunted in her own house, but I couldn't, and that physically hurt me.

At least now we had someone to take away the hurt, and she didn't even realize it. I smiled unconsciously as I pictured our sweet daughter Calla, with her dark, thick locks and innocent blue eyes.

The door creaked, and I immediately stiffened, reaching to the side of my bed for my leg. Then a little head peaked around the corner, blue eyes wide. I relaxed and smiled gently.

"Calla, honey, what are you doing up?" I patted the space on the bed next to me, and she scampered over and climbed up next to me. She looked up at me through dark lashes and answered quietly.

"I heard Mommy screaming. Is she okay?" I closed my eyes for a moment, then put my arm around Calla and brought her closer.

"Mommy is okay. She just had a nightmare. Kind of like the ones you get sometimes."

"What was it about? Maybe telling someone about it will help." I winced. I didn't want to tell our innocent daughter about the Games and their horror, but now was better than her learning about it through school.

"Honey, with her nightmares, telling about it won't help her."

"But-" I interrupted my daughter, wishing to establish the importance of this conversation.

"Calla, listen closely now." She nodded. "Your Mommy has nightmares about her-our past. Many years ago, there was a very bad man who controlled Panem. To punish us for an uprising that happened decades ago, every year he would require District 1-12 to send a boy and girl between the age of 12-18 to the Capitol. There they had to prepare for a game."

"A game doesn't sound bad! With all those people, it sounds fun." I shook my head, overcome for a moment by memories of all those kids, being sent to their deaths.

"It wasn't really a game, the bad man just called it that. These 24 kids had to fight-to the... To the death. We were trapped in an arena, forced to fight for our lives."

"Mommy and you were in it?" Calla looked a bit frightened. I rubbed my hand up and down her small arm.

"Yes, sweetheart, we were. So was Uncle Haymitch. Mommy and I were the first two people who were able to win together."

"So you had to kill people?" I took a shuddering breath, remembering that helpless girl my first night with the Careers.

"Yes." I breathed, looking down at Calla. Her expression didn't change.

"But you did it to protect each other and get out so you could get back to your families, right?" I relaxed in relief.

"Yes."

"It's okay Daddy, I understand." I smiled gently down at her. My little girl was so kind and smart.

I spent the better part of an hour explaining in ways she would understand our second games and the ensuing rebellion. I left out a lot, and barely mentioned the violence and danger. If she wanted to know more when she was older I would tell her.

After another 20 minutes, Calla's interested had faded to exhaustion as she leaned against my side, slowly falling asleep. I looked up from her slumbering form when I heard the door to the bathroom open. Katniss smiled at me, gratefulness and understanding in her expression.

"You did good." She whispered gently. I smiled at her, and leaned over Calla to kiss her cheek. Katniss softly climbed into bed, trying not to wake Calla. I rearranged myself and my daughter so we could lie down. Katniss and I faced each other, with Calla lying between us.

Suddenly, Calla opened her tired blue eyes and murmured sleepily,

"You were very brave, Daddy. I love you." I smiled, feeling my love for her swell. Then she turned over and threw hers arm around my wife. "I'm sorry you have nightmares, Mommy. You were really brave too. I love you, and I'll help you with nightmares too." Katniss' eyes filled up, which was a rare thing.

"Thank you, darling. I love you so much." She kissed the top of Calla's dark head. My little girl snuggled into Katniss and fell back asleep. Eventually Katniss fell asleep, a soft smile on her face, and I did too.

There were no nightmares for a long time.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote in my poll. ;)**


	4. Love of Children

**A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoy this one. It's an AU of when Perta gives Katniss the bread. Also, please got vote in my poll!**

Step of Hope

AU

"I think about that all the time. How I tossed you that bread. I should have gone to you. I should have just gone out into the rain..."

~ Peeta Mellark, The Hunger Games

District 12 winters were cold, meaning more hunger and more illness and more death. It also meant fewer supplies for the bakery, so Mrs. Mellark was sure to give her sons a wallop or two if they dropped a bit of flour, let alone burn two loaves of bread. Peeta didn't care though. The girl who he secretly loved was sitting outside in the frigid rain, appearing very ill looking and near the point of death by starvation. So when Peeta got hit so hard on the head with a rolling pin he could barely see, and was told to go outside in the rain to feed the burned loaves to the pigs, he did so gladly.

The gentle twelve year old had no intention to feed it to the pigs, so he went out back without a fuss, and snuck a glance at his mom who was already at the front counter and could not see him. He was nervous, not because he was afraid of a beating, but because he was finally approaching Katniss after seven years of watching and waiting.

Once Peeta was sure he was safe to go, he rushed out from under the cover of the porch and into the torrent of rain. He saw her beautiful bright gray Seam eyes trained on him, though they were glazed over. He kneeled beside her, not giving a thought to his soaked knees, and gently pushed the bread into her thin arms.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, concerned. He knew she wasn't; her dad had died three months ago and she was starving, and by the looks of it sick. She shook her head resolutely though, determined not to let a virtual stranger know her weakness. She attempted to give the bread back to him, not wanting to be indebted, though Katniss truly wanted to run to her sister and fill her hollow body with nourishing bread.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you need help and your family is starving."

Katniss brusquely responded,

"Most families in the Seam are starving, why am I different to you?" He could answer that. It was time to be truthful, Peeta told himself. It might scare her away, but at least he would have a chance to say it to her. He took his thin jacket off and put it on her shoulders, saying,

"I like you a lot. Now take the bread and go." And Katniss went, stumbling away tiredly, but going as fast as she could. Peeta spun around and rushed back into the bakery, cooking two more loaves of bread to replace the ones he gave to the beautiful, stubborn Seam girl. He knew she had a sister, and he wanted to check up on them.

After the loaves of bread were done, Peeta's shift was over and he asked his Father if he could go out. Mr. Mellark looked at him strangely, but at seeing the excited and worried look on his son's face, he agreed. Peeta rushed upstairs to grab his only other coat; the thicker one, then burst out the back door and ran through the back alley. He ran all the way to the Seam, but then realized he didn't know where the Everdeen's house was.

All houses in the Seam looked the same, so he wandered down a few streets, constantly wiping the water away from his eyes before he saw a window with dried flowers hanging in it. There was only one person in the Seam who would hang flowers in their window at the end of winter: Primrose Everdeen. Peeta had heard Katniss talk about Prim a lot, whenever she did talk. He had even met Prim a few times, and she was the sweetest little girl he had ever met. He approached the dimly lit house and knocked softly on the door.

Peeta heard muted voices through the thin walls, and the beat up door opened a crack to show Katniss' smooth olive face. She looked confused, and opened the door wider.

"Peeta? What are you doing here?" He didn't know how to tell her he came to check up on her and her family, make sure they were all right.

"I…Uh… I came to see if you made it home alright." Katniss looked skeptical, and she said,

"Well I did." She started to shut the door, uncomfortable with a boy who had just saved her's, and more importantly, Prim's life. She genuinely wanted to thank this admittedly handsome Merchant boy, but thank yous were hard for her, and she felt so cold and nauseated she was surprised she was still standing.

"No, Katniss! Please wait!" She stopped. "I want to help you, please let me in." Katniss sighed tiredly, but her hard mask softened into something gentle as she opened the door to admit him in.

"It's the least I can do after everything you have done." Peeta stepped inside to see a small room which was a living room/ kitchen/ dining room/ bedroom combined. A little sink and counter with cupboards above it took up one wall, while a fireplace and a rickety rocking chair claimed another wall. A half shut door next to a threadbare mattress looked to lead to a bedroom, and a pine table dominated the last wall.

"I haven't done much." Peeta responded modestly.

"You gave food to my sister. Even I haven't been able to do that." Katniss admitted in a whisper as she gestured to a thin, pale Prim with dull hair and hollow cheeks munching happily on a piece of bread at the table. She was sharing it with a white goat and a ugly cat, muttering to them how they should be thankful to Peeta for giving them such wonderful food.

"Prim, say hi to Peeta." The eight year old looked up and smiled brightly, bounding out of her seat to squeeze Peeta around the waist.

"Thank you so so so much for the bread Peeta! It is so delicious and I haven't ever had anything this good!" Her blue eyes sparkling again, she jumped to kiss him on the cheek, and then turned back to the table. "Lady and Buttercup thank you too. They just can't tell you." The scruffy cat apparently called Buttercup looked at Peeta with what could be interpreted as grudging appreciation. Peeta chuckled and turned to Katniss, who was staring at the bread.

"Have you had any? It's probably still warm." She looked at Peeta sheepishly and shook her head. "Go ahead, I don't mind." Katniss sat down on a rickety chair and offered Peeta a piece.

"Would you like some?" Peeta would never take any food from this devastatingly starving family.

"No thank you." Katniss inclined her head to a chair next to her, and immediately started nibbling on a piece of bread. She moaned and closed her eyes as she leaned back, savoring the warmth and hardiness of the piece, but also in discomfort. Prim didn't notice, as she was too absorbed in the tastiness of the nutty bread, but Peeta picked up on it immediately.

"Katniss, are you alright?" She immediately sat up, her face tinged with pink from her embarrassment. She was embarrassed because Peeta had picked up on her illness and had seen right through her. Unbeknownst to anyone in the entire District, Katniss was truly and desperately in love with the strong, gentle, caring, handsome Peeta who she had never even talked to.

"I'm alright. I'm going to go give my mother some bread." She stood up, her small frame swaying slightly as she picked up a chipped plate with bread on it. Peeta stood up too, and grasped her arm softly to steady her. Prim was by now doing weekend homework and oblivious to the situation as she concentrated.

Katniss felt shivers run up and down her whole body as his warm, soft hand made contact with her cool skin. She brushed it off as her fever's doing and ripped her arm out of his grasp, uncomfortable, though secretly relishing his touch.

"I'll be back in a moment." She spoke quietly, her hoarse voice shaking a bit. She stepped to the ajar door and slipped inside. Peeta followed, peeking his head around to see the once charming Mrs. Everdeen sitting unmoving and unseeing on the bed. Young Katniss was perched next to her, desperately, but quietly, begging her mother to eat, to speak, to do anything. Peeta was horrified. This woman appeared to be a shell, and it was no wonder the sisters were starving if their mom had been like this since Mr. Everdeen died.

Eventually, Katniss gave up, frustrated and sad tears in her eyes as she set the plate on her mother's lap and left. She saw Peeta staring at her, and she looked mortified.

"Did… did…. Did you see my mom?" He nodded his head and made what he thought was a very stupid move. He hugged her, sure she would pull away and force him out of the house, refusing to talk to him ever again. She stiffened in his grasp for so long he wondered if she was in shock, before hugging him back loosely to his utter astonishment.

Katniss was very shocked when Peeta hugged her, but she was so desperate for comfort she leaned into his strong warm embrace and hugged him back. Unbidden, her tears of grief and pain and sadness, of frustration and guilt for letting her sister starve started to fall. Peeta glanced back to find Prim asleep at the table, so he guided Katniss to the couch, and settled her tiny body in his lap, her face buried in his shoulder.

He soothed her, stroking her long braid as she cried silently, fighting off his own tears at what this brave girl had gone though. Finally, she looked up at him, affection clear in her red rimmed eyes.

"Thank you, Peeta. For everything. I have never let anyone see me cry before, it's kind of nice. I have been all alone taking care of Prim since Dad died. I... I didn't know what to do."

"It's alright Katniss. You're not alone now. I don't know how much of a help I'll be, but I'm here to stay, whether you like it or not. As I said earlier, I like you a lot. It's alright if you don't, but I am letting you know I'm here from now on." He said all of it very shyly, and Katniss couldn't help but kiss him on the cheek, he was so sweet.

"I… I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Katniss did, though.

"I like you too. I was just too afraid to come up to you. Thank you." Peeta beamed, so shocked all he could do was stare at her. The stunning Katniss Everdeen, the one almost all the boys looked at, liked him?

He hugged her frail body,changing topics as he became aware of the heat of her skin, muttering,

"You're sick, aren't you?"

"No, I am not!"

"You are cold and shivery, and you are really tired. Your eyes are glazed and your voice is hoarse. You are shaking and you can't walk properly. You barely ate even though I know you are starving. That's not sick?"

"Fine." She moaned. "But there is nothing either one of us can do about it."

"I can make you comfortable." He detangled himself from her; before he reached over to the coat he had given Katniss earlier. It was warm from hanging by the low fire. He added a few coal pieces and stoked it, before turning to Katniss and wrapping her in his coat that was much too large for her.

Peeta sat back down and she nestled into his side, throwing one of the few threadbare blankets over the both of them. She hesitantly took his hand in hers and moved her thumb in slow circles over the top of it. He leaned his head on top of hers, and sighed as he drifted off. Finally, things were going somewhere; finally, things were changing for the better. And that was Peeta's last thought as he drifted off to sleep, with Katniss tucked beside him.

 **A/N: I hope you all liked it! I wasn't sure if I was going to upload it or not. I really like the premise, but my writing in this is not good. Anyways, if you want me to rewrite this or expand the AU, drop me a review!**

 ***whispers* the poll...**


	5. Moment in the Woods

**A/N: Geez it's been awhile! Anyway, here's another oneshot, I hope you enjoy!**

 **"Peeta visits Katniss after he gets back from the Capitol after major treatment towards his hijacking. They sit, they go for a walk in the woods, talk about everything, they catch up to the months that they had lost since the war. Also, add a kiss at the end."**

 **~ flowerkatniss on Instagram**

I jog briskly to town from the woods, having spent the morning there. The train is due any minute, and I am hoping my cheese buns will be here. I've been out for a week. I glance up at the sky and notice the gathering gray clouds, but I don't really pay any mind to them.

Though I won't admit it to myself, the cheese buns are the little part of me that holds onto Peeta with all its might. I know he probably won't return to me, but the cheese buns taste just like how he used to make them, so much so that it's almost like he made them himself. That reassures me he's getting back to normal, even though I know he doesn't work at that Capitol bakery.

I reach our tiny wood station, consisting of a few coal loading docks, a rickety bench with half of its slats torn away to fuel fires, and a ramshackle building where Peacekeepers had monitored the workers loading the train. It's different now, but as a huddle of people wait for the 11:00 train, no one steps inside.

The engine rolls up, screeching to a stop, and slowly people unload boxes. As each person claims their items, they walk away; and soon it is only me stepping up to the car. I'm about to step on to search the boxes, when an achingly familiar voice echoes from inside.

"Here, I think these are yours." I look up, not daring to believe what must be true. His bright blue eyes stare down at me, nearly returned to their full vibrance.

"Peeta?!" I choke. He steps down, muscular arms holding a crate still warm to the touch.

"Katniss." He says it so familiarly, almost as disbelieving as me.

"I.. Uh.." I sigh, so many conflicting emotions filling me I can do nothing but stare at him. I take in his bright blonde curls, feeling like I could just run my hands through them for hours. My eyes run over each familiar thing, his long painter fingers, his muscled body, his smooth skin...

"Katniss, are you alright?" Peeta, sweet Peeta, looks concerned and rather distressed. "I didn't know if I would upset you or not coming here. I just wanted to try... Here. I'll just be goi-" Peeta set the crate on the ground and turned to leave, but I leap forward and grabbed his arm.

"Please don't go." I feel him tense for a moment. Perhaps I shouldn't have done that, but I don't move my hand. He relaxes and turns to face me, face alight with hope. "Don't leave me again." I whisper. Suddenly I miss him so terribly, and the urge to throw myself into his strong arms is almost undeniable. His face saddens a bit, but he still smiles.

"I won't. I'm moving back." I feel my eyes widen.

"You are?" He nods, then gestures to the crate.

"Should we take these to your house?"

"You have been the one making the cheese buns!" He chuckles, warm and deep and I revel in the soothing, familiar sound.

"Yes, I have been working in that bakery for a while. I figured you would be the only one from District 12 to order cheese buns, so I asked the owner if I could make them." I realize how awkward this is and I blush.

"Yeah, well they are good. Anyways, we can leave them here for now. Want to walk in the woods with me?" I need to get away from this, and I don't want to go to my house just yet (it isn't a home until my heart is there), so the best place to go is the woods.

"I would love to Katniss." His smile is still soft, but his eyes look eager.

"I've been wanting to show you my real home for a long time." I say to him as I walk to the tree line, the leafy green foliage welcoming me. I remember the first time I thought of bringing Peeta in the woods. He was sleeping in the cave, and as I looked out over the river to the forest, I thought of home. I thought how it would be nice to show Peeta real woods with plenty of joys, not a death trap. Suddenly I laugh, very out of character, and start to jog; Peeta laughs too and keeps an easy pace with his long strides.

"I can't remember the last time I laughed." He says when we stop by the strawberry plants. I pluck a few as I answer.

"Me either." I know I can confide in him. "What did you do for all those months in the Capitol after I came back here?" I sit down on a rock under a shady tree and pat the space next to me. He sits closer than normal, and I almost shift away. But I decide against it, sitting close enough to feel his warmth. Peeta shrugs his large shoulders.

"Dr. Aurelius insisted I stay for treatment, otherwise I would have gone with you. I got a part time job in the bakery, like I said. The treatment took up most of my time." He looks me in the eyes intently. I'm afraid to ask the question that pops into my mind, but I take a deep breath and ask anyways.

"Did it...did it work?" He smiles, and I take that as a good sign.

"Dr. Aurelius says I'm almost completely cured, I just need to keep talking to him once a week. I even got my old memories back." I wince, but he has looked away to the strawberry bushes. "What about you?" He turns to me again.

"I... Well." I tug the end of my braid a bit. "For a few months, I couldn't, I didn't do anything." My voice breaks. Peeta looks sad, and he hesitantly reaches over to take my hand. I let him, marveling at the comfort he gives me. "When Buttercup came back, I changed. I still didn't see anyone, but I went out to the woods. Now I spend everyday out here. It's freeing."

"What do you mean? You didn't see anyone?" I shake my head, sheepish.

"I still haven't, until now. I don't really talk to or see anyone except Greasy Sae. I don't know anyone." Peeta doesn't answer, and we sit in surprisingly comfortable silence for a while. Eventually, I can't take it any longer. He said he had gotten his old memories back. What does that mean?

"Peeta, you said you had gotten your old memories back." I turn to face him fully. "What does that me-" I think I must have let my fear leak through, because he answers so earnestly.

"Katniss, it means I'm still the same." My brows furrow, confusion and nervousness filling me.

"But what does that mean?"

"It means I still love you with everything I have and that I will never stop. Ever." Suddenly, the sky rumbles. I hadn't even noticed the clouds were moving in. Not a second later, it starts to rain. Not just a drizzle, but a full downpour.

My thoughts are brought away from the wind when suddenly I feel a pair of warm, soft lips on mine. My eyes widen to see Peeta with his eyes closed, kissing me desperately. I choke back a sudden sob of joy, happy and relieved and amazed. I close my eyes happily and kiss him back, softly. I make sure to try to convey that I love him too, that deep down, I always have, and always will. We kiss long and hard, and my fingers are somehow tangled in his hair and I'm in his lap and Peeta has his arm around my neck and is leaning into me like there is no tomorrow.

We get to the point where we can't breathe, and we break apart. Both of us are drenched, but he smiles at me. I smile back and lean close, so my lips are touching his damp cheek.

"I love you too."


	6. Satisfaction in a Pie

**A/N: My my, I still have these eons old oneshots floating around, and I keep forgetting to upload them! Looking back, some of these are very cringe-worthy, but people have expressed their enjoyment of them, so I might as well finish posting them all.**

 **Prompt:**

 **"Peeta teaches Katniss some new tricks on how to make the perfect pumpkin pie for a Halloween get together. Ends with a VERY satisfied Katniss."**

 **~ flowerkatniss on Instagram**

The first thing I noticed when I walked into our home in the Victor's Village was the smell of baking cheese. I moaned hungrily as I rapidly shed my outdoor winter clothes, cold and wet from hunting since dawn. It was passed noon now, and I was famished. I had already dressed the animals I had shot or caught in the woods, and it was time to head inside.

We didn't need to hunt for food anymore, we had all the food we needed and more, but Peeta and I preferred fresh meat from the woods, and now that it wasn't a fight for survival, it was more enjoyable.

My stockinged feet drifted almost mindlessly to the kitchen, where the most amazing sight met my eyes. There was Peeta, covered from head to toe in flour with baking sheets filled with food on every available surface. There was even a pot full of some delicious stew on the floor. Unable to stop myself, I snatched a cheese bun off a tray on the floor near the door, stuffing it into my mouth, and crept silently to Peeta. I stood for a moment, fighting the urge to laugh, before taking a handful of flour from the bag on the floor next to him. I promptly threw it on his head, dashing around the counter and ducking before he could even process what was happening. Then he growled teasingly,

"I'm going to get you for this, Katniss Everdeen." I gasped in mock fear and anger.

"That's Mrs. Mellark to you!" I heard a bit of shuffling, and then Peeta vaulted over the counter, flour in both hands. I let out an involuntary squeak as he landed next to me. His hand came swinging to my shirt, prepared to dump it down my front, no doubt; but I blocked his hand. I didn't prepare myself for his other hand, though, and I shrieked at him as flour stuck to the inside of the back of my shirt. My whole back become covered in sticky flour, wet from sweat and water from the snow.

"Peeta!" I scrambled from my crouch and attempted to lunge around the counter to the flour.

"No you don't, Katniss!" He grabbed me around the hips and swung me backwards to face him, my eyes level with his bright blues. His usual scent of dill and fresh bread was now mixed with flour and cheese, and I moaned again as my stomach growled with hunger.

"I can see you're hungry." I nodded at him, widening my eyes, hoping he would let me go to eat the food that I knew from experience would be good.

"And I can see you were busy while I was gone. May I try some of your delicious looking food?" His eyes twinkled, and I furrowed my brow. "Please?" I whined, jokingly.

"You have to give me something first." He answered, his tone delighted. I looked at him from under my lashes, almost positive I knew what he would ask.

"And what would that be?" My stomach growled again, and my eyes zeroed in on the flour on his cheek. I would even eat plain flour...

"A kiss." He said triumphantly. I smiled and leaned in as he shut his eyes in mock anticipation, then I turned and licked his cheek. Most people would find it gross, but I found it hilarious. Peeta didn't, though. He leapt away, releasing me in the process.

"Ugh, Katniss!"

"You asked for a kiss!" I laughed.

"Not the dog kind!"

"It worked, though, didn't it?" I looked over my shoulder as he glared at me. I was spooning stew into a bowl and already had two garlic rolls and butter on my plate. He nodded, disgruntled.

"Oh, come off it Peeta!" I chuckled. "I managed to get a rabbit today. How about we add it to the stew and I make you a muffler?"

"A muffler?" He said skeptically, though I could tell he was happy.

"Yes, a muffler. They are rather effective at keeping hands warm." He smiled at me.

"Okay, let's eat."

"Peeta, you'll get flour everywhere!"

"I already have! Besides, so will you."

"No I will not!" I retorted. "It's all stuck to my back, no thanks to you." He didn't answer, and I heard rummaging behind me. "What are you doing?" I asked around a mouthful of bread.

"Looking for something in your bag!" I heard his muffled reply. I turned in my chair to look at him.

"What are you searching for?"

"Pumpkins! Did you find any in the woods?" I suddenly remembered the enormous orange squash I'd found and taken home on request from Peeta.

"Yeah, an enormous one." I got up, hunger forgotten for the moment. "Why?" I pushed him away and a poof of flour went up. I shoved aside greens and a coat, some arrows and a few snare tools to find the pumpkin. I gripped the stem and hefted it up, barely managing to put it on the counter. Peeta smiled at me.

"Well, tomorrow is Halloween, and to keep in the spirit of fall I wanted to make a pumpkin pie." My mouth started watering. I loved the pumpkin pie I had in the Capitol, and one homemade by Peeta must be simply amazing. Then another thought entered my mind, and I grinned at the idea. Peeta saw my smile and cocked his head slightly in question.

"What are you grinning about?"

"I was wondering if you would maybe, possibly teach me how to make pumpkin pie? I always saw it in the bakery around Fall Harvest and that was the one thing I always wanted to make for my family." Peeta's eyes twinkled happily.

"Of course, Katniss!" Immediately he sent me to get ingredients that weren't already out from his Halloween party baking spree. I then made the crust, not appreciating Peeta's snide comments.

"I know how to make a decent pie crust, Peeta!"

"Okay, okay! Just don't forget the flour." He got a head-full of flour for that, but he was too engrossed in measuring out a 'special' secret spice.

When I finished the crust, Peeta guided me to the pumpkin, and we cut open the top and scooped out all the-meat? Pumpkin filling?

Anyways, then he taught me how to make the pumpkin pie the Mellark way, including the secret spice, more sugar than could probably be tolerated by the human body, and lots of distracting touches as his hands glided over mine.

Eventually I couldn't take it any longer. I spun around to face him just as his hands glided over my hips to "move you out of the way." He said. My cheeks were bright, I'm sure, and I ordered him,

"Put that pie in the oven." He obliged, as I knew he would. He had already taught me how to crimp the edges, and the pie went into the heated oven. As soon as he shut the door, I grabbed his arms and forced him against the counter. He giggled happily like a schoolboy, which sounded odd in his deep baritone. I ran my hands through his hair, brushing out the flour.

"Katniss!" He whined. I smiled with mock seduction at him, but it seemed to be real because his eyes darkened ever so slightly. "Katniss." He sighed again. I couldn't wait any longer either, and my lips crashed against his. My body pressed against his and his warm hands enveloped the back of my neck. They slowly moved down to my hips, then he picked me up and started swinging me around. I squeaked in surprise, then shut my eyes and kissed him harder. I knew he could keep this up for hours.

Eventually our lips parted, but not the rest of us. We were giggling like lovesick, naughty teens; even though we were married. Perhaps too much sugar in the process of baking had made us this way, but now we were dancing around the room, flour covered and giggling. Our lips met every few seconds. It was bliss and I never wanted our dance in the amazing smelling, warm kitchen to end.

Then the timer went off.

People were laughing and smiling, everyone enjoying pumpkin pie. Made by me (with help from Peeta) I might add. I was rather proud of myself. Peeta slid up beside me.

"You look satisfied." He remarked. I nodded and took a bite of the delicious pie.

"About which part of yesterday?" I smirked at him.

"All of them!" It was true. I couldn't be happier. The flour fight, the pie making, the dancing and kissing, the amazing pie all left me feeling so happy. I'm glad things have turned out the way they have.


End file.
